


Nightmares

by The_Lady_Crane



Series: Among Friends [15]
Category: Super Smash Brothers
Genre: Childhood Trauma, Drabble, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Friendship/Love, M/M, Male Slash, Nightmares, Not really heavy on either side, Past Violence, Really just a tiny drabble, Romance or friendship if you want it to be, Skinship, Sleepy Cuddles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-08
Updated: 2019-04-08
Packaged: 2020-01-06 17:21:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18392897
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Lady_Crane/pseuds/The_Lady_Crane
Summary: When Ike has a nightmare, Marth and Meta Knight are ready to soothe him.Drabble. Friendship or romance as you see fit.





	Nightmares

**Author's Note:**

> Ugh. I don't even know what to say anymore. I've been in a slump lately, smut-wise, and all I can seem to do are these drabbles. I decided to just start posting whatever I come up with, because... why not? 
> 
> This is partially inspired by my husband and his wonderful, patient kindness. Thank you, mi amor.

When Ike wakes up trembling, Marth and Meta Knight are ready.

It doesn’t happen often – perhaps once every few months. But it’s sufficiently distressing for them to have a plan in place to deal with it. It always begins with a certain twitching in the vanguard’s legs. In his dream, he’s running through a dark forest at night. He’s frightened, and angry. As soon as his leg rustles the sheets, Meta Knight is awakened, and he taps Marth’s shoulder to alert him, as well.

Wherever they happen to have fallen asleep, they move so that each is on either side of Ike. By now, Ike is mumbling indistinct words. They catch “Father” a few times, and this confirms that they’re in for a storm. When Ike’s hands begin to flex as if reaching for an invisible sword, Marth takes one between his own and squeezes gently. Meta Knight reaches out to ruffle Ike’s hair.

Finally, with a shout, Ike is awake, fighting against them, kicking, snarling like an animal. Meta Knight subdues him with a hand on his chest, holding him flat on his back. His eyes are wildly darting around, not really seeing anything but the ghost of his dream. Marth takes his cheek in one hand, stroking and soothing like he would with a spooked horse. It takes a moment for Ike to realize where he is, and when he does, he deflates into the mattress. Then the shaking starts, traveling up from his knees all the way to his shoulders.

Marth scoots over and presses himself against Ike, touching as much of the larger man as he can, like a living blanket. Meta Knight eases the pressure on Ike’s chest, and strokes his hair with his other hand. Ike’s eyes are closed, but they know he’s awake; no doubt he’s trying to forget what he’s just seen.

An unwritten rule of dealing with Ike’s nightmares is that they never speak about them when they’ve just occurred. Ike refuses to talk about it in the moment. He’s still caught up in the mindset of a seventeen-year-old who just saw his father killed. He’s still the child who watched as his father murdered his mother. Whichever dream he just experienced doesn’t matter now. They’ll talk about it in the morning; for tonight, they just hold him and let him come back to reality at his own pace.

“Sshhh…” Marth tucks Ike’s face under his chin, rocking back and forth slightly. Gradually, the tremors subside. There are no tears; there never are. Ike doesn’t cry. He’s said before that he feels like he’s incapable of crying, and so his companions don’t push it. Marth can feel the edges of his own eyes stinging, though. He wishes that he could shed the tears that Ike cannot, but he hasn’t cried since he was eight years old.

A timelessness settles about the scene. Meta Knight doesn’t know how late or how early it is, and he doesn’t bother to check the clock on the nightstand. He pets Ike’s hair as if he were a child. After a while, Ike rolls into Marth’s embrace and allows Meta Knight to rub his back. He’s starting to doze off again, with his head resting in the crook of Marth’s elbow. One arm is drawn up against his own chest; the other is flung over Marth’s waist, and he’s gripping the back of Marth’s shirt tightly. Marth and Meta Knight share a look over Ike’s shoulder; they’ve weathered another one.

Marth falls asleep rocking Ike, but Meta Knight remains awake, guarding his companion against further trauma. Only once does Ike stir again, and this time, Meta Knight doesn’t bother to wake Marth. He pats the vanguard on the back softly, until Ike settles down once more. Nestled between his companions, Ike’s breathing evens out and he falls into more pleasant dreams, while Marth holds him and Meta Knight dutifully stands guard.


End file.
